Goolsby Customs 1971 to 1973 Mustang - Pegasus

When former GM exec Bunkie Knudsen became the president of Ford, one of his most infamous moves was asking designers to stretch the proportions of the Mustang for 1971. The reaction from the buying public wasn't what the Bunkster had in mind. Sales plummeted, as folks didn't seem to buy the marketing tactic of "Now with 20 percent more Mustang!" The '71 to '73 Mustang has always been a bit of a black sheep among Mustang body styles, with some enthusiasts calling them Clydesdales, which are enormous, cloddy horses--though they deliver beer, so they can't be all bad.

2/7Buddy Shores bought his Mustang at a government auction, where it ended up after being seized from a drug bust. If you’re reading this in prison and your ’71 Mustang was impounded, this totally isn’t yours, we promise.

Buddy Shores figured a '71 Clydesdale also had some merits and envisioned his ultimate Mustang with help from designer Ben Hermance. As he did when building his Power Tour Challenge-winning '67 Chevelle, Buddy turned to Goolsby Customs (GoolsbyCustoms.com), located practically in his backyard in Bessemer, Alabama, to bring some attention to the forgotten body style.

Even though the car is immediately recognizable as a whale-body Mustang, park it next to a stock one of the same vintage, and you'll understand how dramatic the body modifications are and how much work the crew at Goolsby Customs put in. The wheelbase is now 1-1/2 inches shorter, and there's much less front overhang, as the front fenders were shortened 7 inches. The driprails are gone, the side windows have a new radius, there's a scoop ahead of the rear wheel openings, and the back glass is entirely reshaped. Factory '71s have such a long and high fastback roof that the rear glass is only 14 degrees from horizontal. To give the backlight and C-pillars a more Pantera-like look, the rear glass was sunken between the pillars to create a "pass-through" spoiler. CNC-machined aluminum grilles and light surrounds were built for both the front and rear of the car and use a honeycomb pattern that you'll also find inside the car, where M&M Hot Rod Interiors in Holly Pond, Alabama, started with a blank canvas and built a modern grand-touring interior around Dakota Digital VHX gauges and a Billet Specialties steering wheel. The center console is trimmed in custom-machined aluminum and uses a factory '11 Mustang shifter along with a Kenwood stereo.

While the massive amount of bodywork was under way, the Mustang's floor was removed and new floor panels were fabricated to integrate a full Roadster Shop Fast Track perimeter chassis. The chassis uses Corvette C6 spindles and a 9-inch rear located by a four-link and Panhard bar. Afco double-adjustable coilovers are used front and rear, as are Wilwood six-piston brakes with 14-inch rotors in front and 13-inch rotors in the rear. Goolsby Customs also fabricated a full-length bellypan to smooth out the airflow on the underside of the car. This is not what Ford engineers had in mind.

4/7Wheels are Nutek 515s. The fronts measure 19x10 inches and use Pirelli 255/30-19 rubber, while the rear 20x12s are fitted with 335/30-20 rubber.

We didn't ask how, but Buddy was able to nab a Ford Coyote 5.0L V8 before they were even available for sale in '11 Mustangs. The high-revving, efficient engine brought with it a new set of challenges for the build team. One hurdle was that new Mustangs all use electric power steering, but the aftermarket support was already there to help, as Turn Key Engine Supply had an accessory drive system that included a power-steering pump. The 6R80 automatic transmission chosen for the '71 is the same as the unit you'll find in a new Mustang GT. The problem is that the engine and transmission controls are integrated with the anti-theft system, and no stand-alone transmission controller was available. Ryan Cloud and Sean Hyland (of Sean Hyland Motorsports) were able to sort out the situation, and now the car runs and shifts just like a new Mustang GT.

We'd compare Pegasus' transformation to starting with an ill-fitting suit and taking a trip to the tailor. There was potential, but it took a whole lot of cutting and some splicing to realize it. The resulting look is clean and new while still undeniably Mustang.